Indian passport
Encyclopedia
Indian passport
s are issued to citizens of India
for the purpose of international travel. They act as proof of Indian nationality. The Consular Passport & Visa (CPV) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, functioning as the central passport organisation, is responsible for issuance of Indian passports to all eligible Indian citizens. Passports are issued from 37 locations across the country and 160 Indian missions abroad.
In addition, select passport offices in India as well as overseas missions are authorised to issue Regular Indo-Bangladesh passports and Indo-Sri Lankan passports, to Indian nationals resident in West Bengal, the North Eastern States, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. These two passports permit travel to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka only and are not valid for travel to other foreign countries.
emblazoned in the center of the front cover. The words Hindi
: 'पासपोर्ट' and English
: 'Passport' inscribed above the Emblem and Hindi
: 'भारत गणराज्य' and English
: 'Republic of India' inscribed below the emblem. The standard passport contains 36 pages, but frequent travelers can opt for 60 pages (as noted above).
The information page ends with the Machine Readable Passport Zone.
The note bearing page is typically stamped and signed by the issuing authority in the name of the
President of Republic of India.
Indian passport holders are classified as either ECNR (Emigration Check Not Required) or ECR (Emigration Check Required).
ECR passports need a clearance called an Emigration Check from the Government of India's Protector of Emigrants when going to select countries on a work visa. This is to prevent the exploitation of Indian workers (especially the unskilled and less-educated) when going abroad, particularly to Middle Eastern countries. However, ECR passport holders travelling with a tourist visa do not need a clearance; this is known as an Emigration Check Suspension. However, those who wish to apply for a tourist visa on-arrival at their destination (such as Thailand) are faced with a catch-22
situation as they can not clear immigration in an Indian airport without ECNR (or pre-issued tourist visa) .
ECNR status passports are granted to:
In accordance with a ruling by the Ministry of External Affairs, passports issued from 2007 onwards do not have the ECNR stamp affixed; instead, a blank page 2 of the passport is deemed to have been ECNR endorsed. As a result, only ECR stamps are now affixed to Indian passports.
and English
.
Indian passports can also be issued outside India, for which fees vary per country.
has recently initiated the first phase of biometric e-passport
for Diplomatic Passport holders in India and abroad. The new passports have been designed locally in India by the Central Passport Organisation, the India Security Press and IIT Kanpur. It contains a security chip with all personal data and digital images. In the first phase new passports will have a 64KB chip carrying a personal photograph of the passport holder and in subsequent phases it will have a fingerprint. The new passport has already been tested with passport readers in the United States
and have 4 second response times, which is about 2/5 of US Passport 10 second response time. It need not be carried in a metal jacket for security reasons, it will first need to be skimmed through a reader, after which it would generate an access code which then unlocks the chip for reader access.
On 25 June 2008 the Indian Passport Authority issued the first e-passport to President of India, Pratibha Patil. The e-passport is under its first phase of deployment and is restricted to Diplomatic passport holders. It was announced that from September 2009 onwards biometric passport would be available to other citizens, however, it seems that one can expect the biometric passport only after September 2010.
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
s are issued to citizens of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
for the purpose of international travel. They act as proof of Indian nationality. The Consular Passport & Visa (CPV) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, functioning as the central passport organisation, is responsible for issuance of Indian passports to all eligible Indian citizens. Passports are issued from 37 locations across the country and 160 Indian missions abroad.
Types of passports
- Regular passport (Deep Blue/Black cover) - Issued for ordinary travel, such as vacations and business trips (36 or 60 pages)
- Diplomatic passport (Maroon cover) - Issued to Indian diplomats, top ranking government officials and diplomatic couriers.
- Official passport (White cover) - Issued to individuals representing the Indian government on official business
In addition, select passport offices in India as well as overseas missions are authorised to issue Regular Indo-Bangladesh passports and Indo-Sri Lankan passports, to Indian nationals resident in West Bengal, the North Eastern States, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. These two passports permit travel to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka only and are not valid for travel to other foreign countries.
Physical appearance
Indian passports have a deep blue/black cover, with the Emblem of IndiaEmblem of India
The emblem of India is an adaptation of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka.- History :Emperor Ashoka the Great erected the capital atop an Ashoka Pillar to mark the spot where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma and where the Buddhist Sangha was founded...
emblazoned in the center of the front cover. The words Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
: 'पासपोर्ट' and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: 'Passport' inscribed above the Emblem and Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
: 'भारत गणराज्य' and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: 'Republic of India' inscribed below the emblem. The standard passport contains 36 pages, but frequent travelers can opt for 60 pages (as noted above).
Passport holder identity
Indian passports have identity information printed on both front and back cover ends. Both of these pages are laminated to prevent modification.- The opening cover end contains the following information:
- Photo of Passport Holder
- Signature of the passport holder
- Type (P)
- Country code (IND)
- Passport number
- Surname
- Given names
- Nationality (Indian)
- Sex
- Date of Birth (DD/MM/YYYY)
- Place of birth
- Place of issue
- Date of issue (DD/MM/YYYY)
- Date of expiry (DD/MM/YYYY)
The information page ends with the Machine Readable Passport Zone.
- The closing end contains the following information:
- Name of father/legal guardian
- Name of mother
- Name of spouse
- Address
- Old passport no. with date and place of issue
- File no.
Passport Note
The passports contain a note from the issuing state that is addressed to the authorities of all other states, identifying the bearer as a citizen of that state and requesting that he or she be allowed to pass and be treated according to international norms. The note inside of Indian passports states:The note bearing page is typically stamped and signed by the issuing authority in the name of the
President of Republic of India.
Emigration check
ECR passports need a clearance called an Emigration Check from the Government of India's Protector of Emigrants when going to select countries on a work visa. This is to prevent the exploitation of Indian workers (especially the unskilled and less-educated) when going abroad, particularly to Middle Eastern countries. However, ECR passport holders travelling with a tourist visa do not need a clearance; this is known as an Emigration Check Suspension. However, those who wish to apply for a tourist visa on-arrival at their destination (such as Thailand) are faced with a catch-22
Catch-22
Catch-22 is a satirical, historical novel by the American author Joseph Heller. He began writing it in 1953, and the novel was first published in 1961. It is set during World War II in 1943 and is frequently cited as one of the great literary works of the twentieth century...
situation as they can not clear immigration in an Indian airport without ECNR (or pre-issued tourist visa) .
ECNR status passports are granted to:
- Indian nationals born abroad;
- Indian nationals holding a matriculation certificate or above certification of education;
- all holders of diplomatic or official passports;
- all gazetted government servants;
- all income-tax payers (including agricultural income-tax payers) in their individual capacity;
- all graduate and professional degree holders (such as doctors, engineers, chartered accountants, scientists, lawyers, etc.);
- spouses and dependent children of category of certain holders of ECNR passports;
- seamen in possession of a CDCContinuous Discharge CertificateC.D.C means a Continuous Discharge Certificate-cum-Seafarer's Identity Document. This document certifies that the person holding this is a seaman as per The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watch keeping for Seafarers , 1978, as amended 1995...
; - Sea Cadets and Deck Cadets who have:
- passed their final examination on a three-year B.Sc. Nautical Sciences Course at T.S. Chanakya, Mumbai; and
- undergone three months' pre-sea training at any of the government-approved training institutes such as T.S. Chanakya, T.S. Rehman, T.S. Jawahar, MTI (SCI), or NIPM, Chennai, after production of identity cards issued by the Shipping Master at Mumbai, Kolkata, or Chennai;
- persons holding a Permanent Immigration Visa, such as visas issued by the UK, USA, or Australia;
- persons possessing a two years' diploma from any institute recognized by the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) or the State Council of Vocational Training (SCVT), or persons holding a three years’ diploma or equivalent degree from an institution such as a polytechnic recognized by the central or a state government;
- nurses possessing qualifications recognized under the Indian Nursing Council Act, 1947;
- all persons above the age of 50 years;
- all persons who have been staying abroad for more than three years (whether in one continuous period or in aggregate), as well as their spouses;
- all children up to the age of 18 years of age.
In accordance with a ruling by the Ministry of External Affairs, passports issued from 2007 onwards do not have the ECNR stamp affixed; instead, a blank page 2 of the passport is deemed to have been ECNR endorsed. As a result, only ECR stamps are now affixed to Indian passports.
Languages
The textual portions of Indian passport are printed in both HindiHindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
Fees
The cost of obtaining a standard passport in India:1000 - Fresh passport (36 pages) of 10 years validity.1500 - Fresh passport (60 pages) of 10 years validity.600 - Fresh passport for minors (below 15 years of Age) of 5 years validity or till the minor attains the age of 18 which ever is earlier.2500 - Duplicate passport (36 pages) in lieu of lost, damaged or stolen passport.3000 - Duplicate passport (60 pages) in lieu of lost, damaged or stolen passport.Indian passports can also be issued outside India, for which fees vary per country.
New passport issuance system
In September 2007, the Indian Union cabinet approved a new passport issuance system under a project called Passport Seva Project. As per the project, front-end activities of passport issuance, dispatch of passports, online linking with police, Central Printing Unit for centralised printing of passports will be put in place. The new system is aimed at a 'timely, transparent, more accessible and reliable manner' for passport issuance.e-Passport (biometric passport)
IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
has recently initiated the first phase of biometric e-passport
Biometric passport
A biometric passport, also known as an e-passport or ePassport, is a combined paper and electronic passport that contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of travelers...
for Diplomatic Passport holders in India and abroad. The new passports have been designed locally in India by the Central Passport Organisation, the India Security Press and IIT Kanpur. It contains a security chip with all personal data and digital images. In the first phase new passports will have a 64KB chip carrying a personal photograph of the passport holder and in subsequent phases it will have a fingerprint. The new passport has already been tested with passport readers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and have 4 second response times, which is about 2/5 of US Passport 10 second response time. It need not be carried in a metal jacket for security reasons, it will first need to be skimmed through a reader, after which it would generate an access code which then unlocks the chip for reader access.
On 25 June 2008 the Indian Passport Authority issued the first e-passport to President of India, Pratibha Patil. The e-passport is under its first phase of deployment and is restricted to Diplomatic passport holders. It was announced that from September 2009 onwards biometric passport would be available to other citizens, however, it seems that one can expect the biometric passport only after September 2010.
See also
- British Indian passportBritish Indian passportThe British Indian passport was a passport, proof of national status and travel document issued to the Indian subjects of the British Empire. The title of state used in the passport was the "Indian Empire", which covered all of modern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma.The use of the passport...
Historic travel document issued at time of British Empire. - Visa requirements for Indian citizensVisa requirements for Indian citizensVisa requirements for Indian citizens are as follows:According to visa and passport information from the International Air Transport Association , some 58 countries and territories provide visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to holders of Republic of India passports...
- Indian nationality law
- Overseas citizenship of India